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Newton and Helen Mayer Harrison, artists and pioneers of the eco-art movement

Newton and Helen Harrison, a collaborative team often referred to simply as “the Harrisons,” are among the leading pioneers of the eco-art movement. They have worked for almost 40 years with biologists, ecologists, architects, urban planners, and other artists to collectively initiate promising dialogue to uncover ideas and solutions which support biodiversity and community development.

The Harrisons’ concept of art embraces a breathtaking range of disciplines. They are historians, diplomats, ecologists, investigators, emissaries, and art activists. Their work includes proposing solutions and involves not only public discussion, but extensive mapping and documentation of these proposals in an art context. Past projects have focused on watershed restoration, urban renewal, agriculture, and forestry issues, among others. The Harrisons’ visionary projects have often led to changes in governmental policy and have expanded dialogue around previously unexplored issues leading to practical implementations throughout the United States and Europe.

For Tuesday Evenings at the Modern, Helen and Newton Harrison present “The Force Majeure – from the Tibetan Plateau, to the Highlands of Europe, to the Sierra Nevada, and then the Bays of San Francisco.”

This special Tuesday Evenings presentation is produced by the Modern in partnership with MAP - Make Art with Purpose for MAP 2013, a festival and exhibition of projects that restore and preserve the environment, promote social justice, and advance human knowledge and well-being.

This popular series of lectures and presentations by artists, architects, historians, and critics is free and open to the public each Tuesday from September 10 through November 19. Lectures begin at 7 pm in the Museum’s auditorium. Seating begins at 6:30 pm and is limited to 250; a live broadcast of the presentations is shown in Café Modern for any additional guests. Free admission tickets (limit two) are available at the Modern’s information desk beginning at 5 pm on the day of the lecture. The Museum galleries remain open until 7 pm on Tuesday evenings during the series.

Café Modern serves cocktails, salads, and appetizers, as well as a fine dining menu, on Tuesday nights during the lecture series. Enjoy the Café Modern experience before or after the lecture; seating is available from 5 pm to 8:30 pm. For reservations, call 817.840.2157 or click here.

Helen and Newton Harrison, Tibet is the High Ground: Part III, 2009, digital mapping, 70 x 70 inches (courtesy of The Harrison Studio)